D-Nice Settings: To find D-Nice's "2012 Panasonic Settings/Issues Thread" with his 2012 GT50 Reference Settings, you have to go to D-Nice's forum over at High Def Junkies dot com since they're hosted over there, not here on AVS. You need to be a registered member at HDJ, then you'll be able to access the DISPLAY SETTINGS, CALIBRATIONS, & REVIEWS forum. His forum is hidden from visitors.

Looking at the 50" ST or GT. Like the looks of the GT better and seems like it's just a little smaller than the ST, the smaller the better even if it's only .4". Can't wait for more info. Don't forget to report on any buzzing issues. The buzzing Samsungs have killed any chance for my money!

So, I had a Samsung plasma and the buzzing was MUCH louder on that 2006 model than on the GT50. I barely hear it at all with no audio playing, and do not hear it all when watching the set. It's not an issue, imho.

Last night I started watching with some basic calibrations (special stuff turned off, brightness/contrast dialed in appropriately), but I still have a ton of settings to figure out, including "Native 1080p" mode, which means it supports "4x4x4" content, which I do not understand. I will try to do some research on this.

I started off with Episode 9 of "Game of Thrones" which I think is a TRUE test of black levels. The episode starts off pitch black, and, as another character walks into the dungeon with a torch, slowly, ever so slowly, we see the profile of Ned Stark against the black walls of the dungeon. The entire scene takes place in the shadows, and the set performed amazingly well. This would have destroyed my old 720p plasma (the shadow bands would have been evident), and I think this is a great showcase for the almost 25,000 levels of gray that puts this set apart from the ST50. I am really hoping that other people use this scene to test these sustained black levels; this is where the whole concept of seeing "detail within shadows" really makes sense. The GT50 seemed to relish the challenge, and as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was fun to see the many, many details, the stitching in the clothes, the tangled hair, the worn skin—all emerging from the dreary, dark space.

The rest of the episode was equally spectacular, with scenes in the desert, forest and throne rooms pushing the GT50 in a variety of different directions. Gorgeous. I am writing this now hundreds of miles away from my set and I cannot wait to fly back tonight and watch Mad Men to see how it looks.

After Game of Thrones we watched New Girl (my wife needed to laugh after the extraordinarily sad ending of that episode), and the set handled the picture with poise and grace. Indeed, I can't help but think that I am finally watching a TV that LOVES to be on, you know? The Samsung I had before was fine, good, but it struggled with some content, the detail wasn't there, the shadows murky, the reds far, far too hot. The colors on the GT50 are consistent, I did not see any blooming as I used to see on the Samsung, and the contrast, oh the contrast, was fantastic—once your turned the "Panel Brightness" setting to Low, that is. There is no way to turn that setting off (makes sense), but you certainly don't want it higher than Low--you cannot see the dark bars on the S&M disc's contrast test at all with it set on Medium.

I will get into specific options with my next post, but so far, so good.

thanks,
mike

ps - if anyone has a calibration service they can recommend in Los Angeles, please let me know, I want to get this done soon.

So, I had a Samsung plasma and the buzzing was MUCH louder on that 2006 model than on the GT50. I barely hear it at all with no audio playing, and do not hear it all when watching the set. It's not an issue, imho.

Last night I started watching with some basic calibrations (special stuff turned off, brightness/contrast dialed in appropriately), but I still have a ton of settings to figure out, including "Native 1080p" mode, which means it supports "4x4x4" content, which I do not understand. I will try to do some research on this.

I started off with Episode 9 of "Game of Thrones" which I think is a TRUE test of black levels. The episode starts off pitch black, and, as another character walks into the dungeon with a torch, slowly, ever so slowly, we see the profile of Ned Stark against the black walls of the dungeon. The entire scene takes place in the shadows, and the set performed amazingly well. This would have destroyed my old 720p plasma (the shadow bands would have been evident), and I think this is a great showcase for the almost 25,000 levels of gray that puts this set apart from the ST50. I am really hoping that other people use this scene to test these sustained black levels; this is where the whole concept of seeing "detail within shadows" really makes sense. The GT50 seemed to relish the challenge, and as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was fun to see the many, many details, the stitching in the clothes, the tangled hair, the worn skin--all emerging from the dreary, dark space.

The rest of the episode was equally spectacular, with scenes in the desert, forest and throne rooms pushing the GT50 in a variety of different directions. Gorgeous. I am writing this now hundreds of miles away from my set and I cannot wait to fly back tonight and watch Mad Men to see how it looks.

After Game of Thrones we watched New Girl (my wife needed to laugh after the extraordinarily sad ending of that episode), and the set handled the picture with poise and grace. Indeed, I can't help but think that I am finally watching a TV that LOVES to be on, you know? The Samsung I had before was fine, good, but it struggled with some content, the detail wasn't there, the shadows murky, the reds far, far too hot. The colors on the GT50 are consistent, I did not see any blooming as I used to see on the Samsung, and the contrast, oh the contrast, was fantastic--once your turned the "Panel Brightness" setting to Low, that is. There is no way to turn that setting off (makes sense), but you certainly don't want it higher than Low--you cannot see the dark bars on the S&M disc's contrast test at all with it set on Medium.

I will get into specific options with my next post, but so far, so good.

thanks,
mike

ps - if anyone has a calibration service they can recommend in Los Angeles, please let me know, I want to get this done soon.

Thanks for your impressions! This sounds like a great set. PLEASE give it the hockey torture test when you get time.

As for a calibrator, I think D-Nice travels all over the country, so you might want to get in touch with him as he seems to know these sets inside and out.

So, I had a Samsung plasma and the buzzing was MUCH louder on that 2006 model than on the GT50. I barely hear it at all with no audio playing, and do not hear it all when watching the set. It's not an issue, imho.

Last night I started watching with some basic calibrations (special stuff turned off, brightness/contrast dialed in appropriately), but I still have a ton of settings to figure out, including "Native 1080p" mode, which means it supports "4x4x4" content, which I do not understand. I will try to do some research on this.

I started off with Episode 9 of "Game of Thrones" which I think is a TRUE test of black levels. The episode starts off pitch black, and, as another character walks into the dungeon with a torch, slowly, ever so slowly, we see the profile of Ned Stark against the black walls of the dungeon. The entire scene takes place in the shadows, and the set performed amazingly well. This would have destroyed my old 720p plasma (the shadow bands would have been evident), and I think this is a great showcase for the almost 25,000 levels of gray that puts this set apart from the ST50. I am really hoping that other people use this scene to test these sustained black levels; this is where the whole concept of seeing "detail within shadows" really makes sense. The GT50 seemed to relish the challenge, and as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was fun to see the many, many details, the stitching in the clothes, the tangled hair, the worn skinall emerging from the dreary, dark space.

The rest of the episode was equally spectacular, with scenes in the desert, forest and throne rooms pushing the GT50 in a variety of different directions. Gorgeous. I am writing this now hundreds of miles away from my set and I cannot wait to fly back tonight and watch Mad Men to see how it looks.

After Game of Thrones we watched New Girl (my wife needed to laugh after the extraordinarily sad ending of that episode), and the set handled the picture with poise and grace. Indeed, I can't help but think that I am finally watching a TV that LOVES to be on, you know? The Samsung I had before was fine, good, but it struggled with some content, the detail wasn't there, the shadows murky, the reds far, far too hot. The colors on the GT50 are consistent, I did not see any blooming as I used to see on the Samsung, and the contrast, oh the contrast, was fantasticonce your turned the "Panel Brightness" setting to Low, that is. There is no way to turn that setting off (makes sense), but you certainly don't want it higher than Low--you cannot see the dark bars on the S&M disc's contrast test at all with it set on Medium.

I will get into specific options with my next post, but so far, so good.

thanks,
mike

ps - if anyone has a calibration service they can recommend in Los Angeles, please let me know, I want to get this done soon.

Give Rayjr a shout. That is his screen name here on AVS. He does excellent work and is a great guy. He lives right in the LA area.

So, I had a Samsung plasma and the buzzing was MUCH louder on that 2006 model than on the GT50. I barely hear it at all with no audio playing, and do not hear it all when watching the set. It's not an issue, imho.

Last night I started watching with some basic calibrations (special stuff turned off, brightness/contrast dialed in appropriately), but I still have a ton of settings to figure out, including "Native 1080p" mode, which means it supports "4x4x4" content, which I do not understand. I will try to do some research on this.

I started off with Episode 9 of "Game of Thrones" which I think is a TRUE test of black levels. The episode starts off pitch black, and, as another character walks into the dungeon with a torch, slowly, ever so slowly, we see the profile of Ned Stark against the black walls of the dungeon. The entire scene takes place in the shadows, and the set performed amazingly well. This would have destroyed my old 720p plasma (the shadow bands would have been evident), and I think this is a great showcase for the almost 25,000 levels of gray that puts this set apart from the ST50. I am really hoping that other people use this scene to test these sustained black levels; this is where the whole concept of seeing "detail within shadows" really makes sense. The GT50 seemed to relish the challenge, and as my eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was fun to see the many, many details, the stitching in the clothes, the tangled hair, the worn skin--all emerging from the dreary, dark space.

The rest of the episode was equally spectacular, with scenes in the desert, forest and throne rooms pushing the GT50 in a variety of different directions. Gorgeous. I am writing this now hundreds of miles away from my set and I cannot wait to fly back tonight and watch Mad Men to see how it looks.

After Game of Thrones we watched New Girl (my wife needed to laugh after the extraordinarily sad ending of that episode), and the set handled the picture with poise and grace. Indeed, I can't help but think that I am finally watching a TV that LOVES to be on, you know? The Samsung I had before was fine, good, but it struggled with some content, the detail wasn't there, the shadows murky, the reds far, far too hot. The colors on the GT50 are consistent, I did not see any blooming as I used to see on the Samsung, and the contrast, oh the contrast, was fantastic--once your turned the "Panel Brightness" setting to Low, that is. There is no way to turn that setting off (makes sense), but you certainly don't want it higher than Low--you cannot see the dark bars on the S&M disc's contrast test at all with it set on Medium.

I will get into specific options with my next post, but so far, so good.

thanks,
mike

ps - if anyone has a calibration service they can recommend in Los Angeles, please let me know, I want to get this done soon.

I will be in LA 4/14-4/17. Please PM me if you would like me to calibrate your display.

1 - the HDMI ports are located on back of the unit towards the side, but if you have thicker HDMI cables, like the Better Cables one that I use for my primary signal, it's a real tight fit if you don't want to see the cables peeking out of the side of the unit. I have a newish Better Cables cable that is REALLY thick, and it really wants space. THe BlueJeans cables I have to use for my AppleTV and Oppo are thinner and bend a bit easier, so they are not an issue, but still, it's frustrating to spend so much money on a cable only to realize that it wants to protrude from the edge of the unit. If Panasonic has just placed the HDMI ports 1" more toward the center of the screen, it would be okay. I will take a picture to show you what I mean tonight.

2 - It does come with a handy cable tie, with mounting holes for it placed at 3, maybe 4 places, but that's the problem--it only comes with one. I was able to make it work, but I could have used at least one more. As it is now, I have 3 HDMI, 1 Toslink and 1 power cable coming out of the thing and needed to use electrical tape to bind them all together to keep the management straight. Maybe you guys are used to this, but this side HDMI ports are really kind of a pain!

It's just funny how when you look at pictures of these things, you never see how the TV looks when the cables are all plugged in! Makes sense, sure but still.

1 - the HDMI ports are located on back of the unit towards the side, but if you have thicker HDMI cables, like the Better Cables one that I use for my primary signal, it's a real tight fit if you don't want to see the cables peeking out of the side of the unit. I have a newish Better Cables cable that is REALLY thick, and it really wants space. THe BlueJeans cables I have to use for my AppleTV and Oppo are thinner and bend a bit easier, so they are not an issue, but still, it's frustrating to spend so much money on a cable only to realize that it wants to protrude from the edge of the unit. If Panasonic has just placed the HDMI ports 1" more toward the center of the screen, it would be okay. I will take a picture to show you what I mean tonight.

I use one of these. This link is for the 90 degree one, I ordered a 270 degree also because I didn't know which one would work. The only problem with these is, you can't use the hdmi port directly below it, but I only use one hdmi port on my VT30, so it doesn't matter to me.

I use one of these, http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2. This link is for the 90 degree one, I ordered a 270 degree also because I didn't know which one would work. The only problem with these is, you can't use the hdmi port directly below it, but I only use one hdmi port on my VT30, so it doesn't matter to me.

Good idea but just a word of warning: each time you create a "break" using any sort of connector in an HDMI chain, you create RF reflections in the cable. Not a big deal for short distances, but if you're going long distances it can create signal degradation errors in the form of "snow" in the picture, or sometimes a complete loss of picture. I experienced this when I mounted a flat panel and had to run a 30' cable through 2 wall plates. Removing either plate corrected the issue, but I was able to use both by adding a repeater to the chain.

I don't know if this helps but my friend's a manager @ PC Richard and he said his "buyer" has told him 4/15 for both 55" variants of the GT & VT. I said to him that the website says shipping from manufacturer 4/22 though and he said, bro that is what I was told and that's what I'm seeing on my end as well. *shrug*
Anyways, I'm personally looking to exchange my UN55D8000 for either the GT/VT. Can't talk price I guess but in you guys opinion, which do you think I should go for? This is my first plasma BTW...although I have viewed many in the stores. =]

1 - the HDMI ports are located on back of the unit towards the side, but if you have thicker HDMI cables, like the Better Cables one that I use for my primary signal, it's a real tight fit if you don't want to see the cables peeking out of the side of the unit. I have a newish Better Cables cable that is REALLY thick, and it really wants space. THe BlueJeans cables I have to use for my AppleTV and Oppo are thinner and bend a bit easier, so they are not an issue, but still, it's frustrating to spend so much money on a cable only to realize that it wants to protrude from the edge of the unit. If Panasonic has just placed the HDMI ports 1" more toward the center of the screen, it would be okay. I will take a picture to show you what I mean tonight.

You can use two 90 degree adapters plugged into each other to redirect the cables along the backside of the TV. One of them is currently connected to a 25 foot HDMI cable running to a laptop and it works fine.

I don't know if this helps but my friend's a manager @ PC Richard and he said his "buyer" has told him 4/15 for both 55" variants of the GT & VT. I said to him that the website says shipping from manufacturer 4/22 though and he said, bro that is what I was told and that's what I'm seeing on my end as well. *shrug*
Anyways, I'm personally looking to exchange my UN55D8000 for either the GT/VT. Can't talk price I guess but in you guys opinion, which do you think I should go for? This is my first plasma BTW...although I have viewed many in the stores. =]

I'm coming from the same exact set (the UN55D8000) which I hated, and I can't run towards plasma fast enough. All of my friends have plasmas (mostly Pannys) and even older models blow the UND out of the water, IMO.

My only fear is hockey. If I can get some positive reports on the GT50 or VT50 on a good hockey test (checking for FBr), then I'm sold. Samsung's 2012 plasma lineup apparently still has pretty bad issues with hockey

I'm coming from the same exact set (the UN55D8000) which I hated, and I can't run towards plasma fast enough. All of my friends have plasmas (mostly Pannys) and even older models blow the UND out of the water, IMO.

My only fear is hockey. If I can get some positive reports on the GT50 or VT50 on a good hockey test (checking for FBr), then I'm sold. Samsung's 2012 plasma lineup apparently still has pretty bad issues with hockey

I used your settings on my set, so thanks But I definitely hear where you're coming from. The D8000 is a huge disappointment. Makes me wish I never sold my Sammy LN52A850. I'm leaning towards this plasma about 95% but I'm also eying the WT LED. I'm growing impatient though, so I'm probably going to get the Plasma.

I was curious if there are any pictures/diagrams of the back panel available with location of the wall mount locations? Will they be the same as the 50GT30? I may need to move my mount higher on the wall?

I was curious if there are any pictures/diagrams of the back panel available with location of the wall mount locations? Will they be the same as the 50GT30? I may need to move my mount higher on the wall?

They moved the 50GT50's mounting holes almost 7 inches higher than they were on the 50GT30 so the mounting plate is now on the upper half of the TV instead of the lower half like on previous models. Unfortunately for me the mounting holes are about 6 inches higher than on my 46G10, but i can't move my wall mount any higher since it's under my front window. They did pretty much the same thing on the 50ST50. The 55 inchers on the other hand still have the holes on the bottom half.

Here's a link to the GT50 Quick Start Guide - scroll all the way down to the bottom and you'll find detailed specs with dimensions and mounting hole locations on the 50" and 55":